O+ Air Price, Specs, Unboxing, Initial Review, Antutu Benchmark Score, Sample Camera Shots : First Look at OPlus' Ultra Thin and Light Octa Core Android KitKat Smartphone
As a tech blogger and gadget enthusiast, I've held many, many full touchscreen smartphones within the past 8 years -- and I can safely say, even without having a ruler to measure its dimensions and before checking its actual thickness printed on the box, that O+ Air - the American electronics company's upcoming 2014 flagship smartphone - is one of the thinnest handsets I've ever played with.
Well, for one, it's a lot thinner than Apple iPhone 5S, which is already saying a lot considering that the Cupertino company's phone only measures 9.2 millimeters at its thickest point. "O+ Air"?! It's clear that this device deserves that name.
TP Friends, just like how our friends from the US-based company trusted me and the TechPinas community with the exclusive first look of its previous best-selling flagship releases O+ 8.12, O+ 8.15, O+ 8.16, O+ Fab Elite, and O+ Imagine, O+ has again provided us with the very first retail package of the O+ Air -- fresh out the factory! "Thank you, O+! I deeply treasure the high level of trust that you give TechPinas."
One of the key-selling points of the O+ Air is its 5-inch High Definition LUMI Display. Lumi Display is O+'s very own screen technology, which serves as its answer to Samsung's SuperAMOLED and Sony's TRILUMINOS display types. "Mark, LUMI has an energy-saving dual crystal luminiscent film that doesn't only deliver a wide gamut of colors for a greatly enjoyable viewing experience but also helps conserve power. This allowed us to give the O+ Air a thinner battery pack and a light-weight construction while not comprosing the handset's uptime," our friends from O+ explained.
Below the camera module and top cap, we'll see the aesthetic feature that sets O+ Air apart from previous flagship devices of the American company. This smartphone is actually the first O+ product to flaunt a real metal back plate, which doesn't just make the handset feel more luxurious when you hold it but also greatly adds to its durability. Yes, O+ Air maybe very thin but it sure feels reassuringly sturdy whether you have it in your hand or in the pocket. Also, the metal cover is electroplated with matte paint which increases friction with the hand making the device less likely to accidentally slip from your grasp.
When O+ Air finally becomes available at all O+ Concept Stores and Kiosks across the country on the first week of June 2014, it will become the first Octa Core smartphone in the country to run Android 4.4.2 KitKat right out of the box! As you may already know, there are already a number of Octa Core handsets available in the Philippine market but all of them run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Of course, O+ Air users will be able to enjoy most of the key benefits that come with Android KitKat including Cloud Printing, automatic prioritizing of contacts, faster multitasking, immersive mode, and even smoother - almost iOS-like - touch response.
And what's even cooler is that O+ even bundled new value-added services with the flagship like O+ Air Share that gives users 10GB of cloud storage space and makes it more convenient for them to share files with other O+ phone owners with Air Share account. Of course, like all other O+ Android smartphones, O+ Air comes with the company's Air Shuffle technology - an industry first - that permits a touch-less mobile experience by letting the user take photos, browse images, listen to music tracks, and change FM radio stations simply by waving his or her hand in front of the light sensor above the display. Air Shuffle is particularly useful when you want to take selfies using the main camera (although on O+ Air, the volume buttons can work as the camera button) or when you're eating and your hands are oily, and you want to show your friends the photos on your phone but you don't want to leave smudges on the glass touchscreen.
Going back to the innards, O+ Air - just like all True Octa Core smartphones available globally as of writing - is powered by an Octa Core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex A7 and Mali 450 GPU based MediaTek MT6592 SoC. To complement that, the handset has 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage that can be expanded via the microSD card slot supporting up to 32 GB.
What's the Initial TP Verdict? Admittedly (and just telling it like it is), O+ Air is not a heavy weight in terms of specs apart from its Octa Core processor (The O+ Imagine even has more RAM and ROM compared to O+ Air). But the handset more than makes up for all its seeming shortcomings with all the fresh O+ innovations that come with it including the new energy-saving Dual Crystal Luminiscent Film LUMI Display with 10 point multitouch, O+ Air Share, the real metal shell, the ultra-slim and extremely light construction, and all the benefits of KitKat right out of the box! Frankly, you don't get those with other Octa Core phones available in the market as of today. All things considered - especially its design and construction, I think O+ Air is a smartphone you will be proud to show to your friends. And once they hold it, I bet they too would want to own one.
Launch Promo Details! TP Friends, the official SRP of O+ Air is Php 15,995 -- which I think is just right - if not a tad low - for a smartphone having all of the above-mentioned features and capabilities. But if you're one of the first to purchase it from any O+ Concept Store, Partner Retailer or Kiosk on its official launch happening on the first week of June 2014, you will enjoy a Php 2,000 discount -- bringing the price down to just Php 13,995! Sweet!
Well, for one, it's a lot thinner than Apple iPhone 5S, which is already saying a lot considering that the Cupertino company's phone only measures 9.2 millimeters at its thickest point. "O+ Air"?! It's clear that this device deserves that name.
TP Friends, just like how our friends from the US-based company trusted me and the TechPinas community with the exclusive first look of its previous best-selling flagship releases O+ 8.12, O+ 8.15, O+ 8.16, O+ Fab Elite, and O+ Imagine, O+ has again provided us with the very first retail package of the O+ Air -- fresh out the factory! "Thank you, O+! I deeply treasure the high level of trust that you give TechPinas."
As you can see, O+ Air has a very simple white paper box packaging - similar to that of O+ 8.12, O+ 8.15, and O+ Imagine - replete with red accents plus the ginormous O+ logo on top.
At the bottom, we'll find a list of the handset's key features and technical specifications (which I will explain more later) headlined by the company's innovative and all-new Lumi Display, Octa Core 1.7 GHz chipset, Quad Core Graphics processor, 10 point multi-touch 5-inch HD display, Android KitKat operating system, 13 MegaPixel main camera with autofocus and flash, 5 MegaPixel front cam, 8 GB of internal storage, microSD card slot supporting up to 32 GB, Dual SIM Dual Standby capability (microSIM + Regular Mini SIM), WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G HSPA+ connectivity support, Metal Back Cover, and 2,000 mAh battery pack.
Alright! Let's do an unboxing first and meet all the accessories that join O+ Air in the retail package.
Of course, the have the unit itself with the familiar green O+ sticker - showing a list of the phone's distinguishing specifications and features - which covers the display
Lifting the velvet tray, we'll find all the other stuff in the box.
The rather thick O+ Air user manual, which I bet no one would even bother to read. But hey, it's nice that O+ bothered to include it in the pack.
Free 8 GB Sandisk microSD card, which you can use to instantly beef up the phone's storage to roughly 16 GB.
The SIM card tray ejector. O+ Air is a Dual SIM handset and you'll be using this to open just one of the trays as the other one can be opened simply by pressing the lower part of plastic flap covering it.
Just like the gorgeous flagship release O+ Imagine from earlier this year, O+ Air comes with free Sennheiser earphones made specifically for the American company's top-of-the-line handsets. As I've shared, Sennheiser is a private German company that specializes in the design and production of consumer and high fidelity audio products. Now, as for the sound quality emanating from these O+ Air bundled headphones, it's almost the same as that of Apple Earpods but you get slightly deeper bass and a clearer highs and vocals.
The microUSB to USB cable -- for connecting the phone to your PC and for charging it.
The travel charger with foldable or retractable dual flat prongs.
"Designed for O+ in the USA." Alright! That's all that's inside the retail pack!
One of the key-selling points of the O+ Air is its 5-inch High Definition LUMI Display. Lumi Display is O+'s very own screen technology, which serves as its answer to Samsung's SuperAMOLED and Sony's TRILUMINOS display types. "Mark, LUMI has an energy-saving dual crystal luminiscent film that doesn't only deliver a wide gamut of colors for a greatly enjoyable viewing experience but also helps conserve power. This allowed us to give the O+ Air a thinner battery pack and a light-weight construction while not comprosing the handset's uptime," our friends from O+ explained.
On top of the brilliant Lumi Display, O+ Air's scratch-resistant touchscreen supports 10-point multi-touch, which is a rarity in this device's price echelon.
On the left panel, we'll find the volume rocker and the slot for the Mini SIM. Like what I mentioned above, just press on the dot near the bottom of the plastic flap cover the SIM slot to open it.
The 3.5mm audio jack and microUSB port are located at the top. Both the rear and top parts have plastic caps which supposedly help improve WiFi and Cellular signal reception.
The power, which gives a nice, tactile click feel, is located almost in the middle of the right panel for easy thumb-clicking when you're holding the phone. Above the power button, we'll find the slots for the microSIM and microSD cards.
At the back, in the upper left corner, we have the O+ Air's non-interpolated 13 MegaPixel autofocus camera with LED flash and BSI sensor. I was told that O+ tweaked the phone's imaging algorithms for clearer and most crisp shots in macro and low light conditions. Here are a few sample shots, kindly click on them for a larger view.
Below the camera module and top cap, we'll see the aesthetic feature that sets O+ Air apart from previous flagship devices of the American company. This smartphone is actually the first O+ product to flaunt a real metal back plate, which doesn't just make the handset feel more luxurious when you hold it but also greatly adds to its durability. Yes, O+ Air maybe very thin but it sure feels reassuringly sturdy whether you have it in your hand or in the pocket. Also, the metal cover is electroplated with matte paint which increases friction with the hand making the device less likely to accidentally slip from your grasp.
When O+ Air finally becomes available at all O+ Concept Stores and Kiosks across the country on the first week of June 2014, it will become the first Octa Core smartphone in the country to run Android 4.4.2 KitKat right out of the box! As you may already know, there are already a number of Octa Core handsets available in the Philippine market but all of them run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Of course, O+ Air users will be able to enjoy most of the key benefits that come with Android KitKat including Cloud Printing, automatic prioritizing of contacts, faster multitasking, immersive mode, and even smoother - almost iOS-like - touch response.
And what's even cooler is that O+ even bundled new value-added services with the flagship like O+ Air Share that gives users 10GB of cloud storage space and makes it more convenient for them to share files with other O+ phone owners with Air Share account. Of course, like all other O+ Android smartphones, O+ Air comes with the company's Air Shuffle technology - an industry first - that permits a touch-less mobile experience by letting the user take photos, browse images, listen to music tracks, and change FM radio stations simply by waving his or her hand in front of the light sensor above the display. Air Shuffle is particularly useful when you want to take selfies using the main camera (although on O+ Air, the volume buttons can work as the camera button) or when you're eating and your hands are oily, and you want to show your friends the photos on your phone but you don't want to leave smudges on the glass touchscreen.
Going back to the innards, O+ Air - just like all True Octa Core smartphones available globally as of writing - is powered by an Octa Core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex A7 and Mali 450 GPU based MediaTek MT6592 SoC. To complement that, the handset has 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage that can be expanded via the microSD card slot supporting up to 32 GB.
The combination of these hardware give O+ Air an Antutu Benchmark Score in the area of 26,599. With this mark and looking at the comparative chart above, we can say that O+ Air is between the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 2013 flagship releases in terms of overall gaming and multimedia performance. I think the fact that the phone only has an HD display greatly helped boost its score.
So how much does O+ Air weigh, exactly? According to O+, it's just 115 grams! I believe that makes O+ Air the lightest smartphone with a 5-inch display currently. Impressive!
What's the Initial TP Verdict? Admittedly (and just telling it like it is), O+ Air is not a heavy weight in terms of specs apart from its Octa Core processor (The O+ Imagine even has more RAM and ROM compared to O+ Air). But the handset more than makes up for all its seeming shortcomings with all the fresh O+ innovations that come with it including the new energy-saving Dual Crystal Luminiscent Film LUMI Display with 10 point multitouch, O+ Air Share, the real metal shell, the ultra-slim and extremely light construction, and all the benefits of KitKat right out of the box! Frankly, you don't get those with other Octa Core phones available in the market as of today. All things considered - especially its design and construction, I think O+ Air is a smartphone you will be proud to show to your friends. And once they hold it, I bet they too would want to own one.
Launch Promo Details! TP Friends, the official SRP of O+ Air is Php 15,995 -- which I think is just right - if not a tad low - for a smartphone having all of the above-mentioned features and capabilities. But if you're one of the first to purchase it from any O+ Concept Store, Partner Retailer or Kiosk on its official launch happening on the first week of June 2014, you will enjoy a Php 2,000 discount -- bringing the price down to just Php 13,995! Sweet!
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